H+ | Leadership
Safi A. Thomas
Mr. Thomas is the Founder and Artistic Director of H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory. As an educator and choreographer, he has created and nurtured all previous iterations of H+: BLAQ Diamonds Edutainment, BLADE Dance Entertainment, and The BLADE Academy. He created and codified The BLADE Dance Technique® in 1995, the teaching methodology for all aforementioned phases of our organization that has educated over 20,000 dancers from around the world to build as leaders through the advancement of dance education.
Safi is the philanthropic visionary behind all the dance NGO’s community initiatives which span from pro-bono services for dancers in the food realm, health and wellness realm, and media and personal branding realm providing over $10M worth of services to the dance community and beyond. He serves as the Artistic Director of the in-house repertory company, H+ | Theatre of the Mind® {TOTEM®}, whom were nominated for Outstanding Production by The Bessie's Dance and Performance Awards for Mr. Thomas’ hip-hop dance rendition of "Sleeping Beauty." Complementary to The BLADE Dance Technique® (S. Thomas, 1995), he also developed The Thomas Acting Technique (S. Thomas, 1995), an acting technique exclusive to the repertory company members that encompasses a unique approach to building authentic characters in the medium of Hip-Hop Dance.
Mr. Thomas is a public figure in the arts industry and a thought leader in dance and Hip-Hop Dance, with innovative ideas surrounding a new landscape for our field. As such he is one of the most sought-after speakers, and travels nationally and internationally to speak on the need for more civic-minded dance leaders who work towards Dance Sustainability®.
Yvonne H. Chow
Ms. Chow is the Director of Operations, Education Director, Curator of Works, and Principal Dancer of H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory. Having grown up in the Bay Area, CA, Yvonne was exposed intermittently to glimpses of Hip-Hop Dance but knew she needed to move to NYC to immerse herself with more foundation and depth. She was first introduced to H+ through BLADE Open Class and from there, was invited to join the H+ | Summer Intensive 2007. Having exhibited a commitment to the craft during the program, Yvonne was offered an H+ | Thomas Fellowship to matriculate into the H+ | Apprenticeship under the mentorship of H+ | Founder & Artistic Director Safi A. Thomas.
Within half a year, she rose to Principal Dancer by receiving the highest evaluation in her class and has served in this position for over a decade. Within a year of her training, she was appointed as President Pro-Tempore of BLADE Dance Entertainment, and mentored by Yasmine Fequiere (at the time, President of BLADE Dance Entertainment) in the business and financial acumen as it pertains to the dance industry. Because of her outstanding performance in this position, in 2009, Yvonne was appointed to H+ | Education Director and H+ | Curator of Works, and has, to date, overseen the conservatory’s pedagogical standards, managed relations with H+ | Adjunct Professors (community leaders and progenitors in Hip-Hop and dance), and protected the body of work under H+ | Theatre of the Mind®’s {TOTEM®} repertory archives.
In 2015, under the auspices of H+ | Founder Safi A. Thomas, Yvonne founded the Asian (American) division of H+ called House of Chow®, a platform dedicated to sharing her experiences as a guest and leader in the culture of Hip-Hop and creating a space for others to do the same. In 2017, she was appointed as H+ | Director of Operations as she continues to cultivate the NGO's Special Consultative Status at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations while also providing experienced oversight of the 30+ programmatic elements/community initiatives aimed at the majority of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for dancers and artists.
Yasmine P. Fequiere
Ms. Fequiere serves as the Associate Artistic Director of H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory. Growing up in Long Island, NY, Yasmine was a devoted student of Jazz, Tap, and Ballet. As a young adult, she sought training in Hip-Hop Dance and in 2001, joined BLADE Dance Entertainment as a Dancer-In Training making her the longest-standing, active, member of H+ mentored under Founder and Artistic Director, Safi A. Thomas. Yasmine holds the fastest rise to leadership given that after her first year of training, she was appointed as Associate Vice President of H+’s former sister company, BLADE Dance Entertainment. She then developed her business acumen further upon rising to President of BLADE Dance Entertainment. For over a decade, she has worked with clients ranging from the Video Music Awards to America’s Best Dance Crew to So You Think You Can Dance, always advocating for dancers’ fair wages and workplace standards.
Given Yasmine’s extensive industry know-how, coupled with a longevity in professional dance skill, she was 1 of the 3 Master Teachers selected to head the H+ | International Residency in Beijing, China in 2008. As such she was featured in Interview Magazine as one of the most sought-after Master Teachers in the industry. She is a proud mom of her first son, and continues to serve as an H+ | Conservatory Professor to the studentship as well as a UN Designate given H+’s Special Consultative Status at the United Nations.
